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klayne24
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:30am
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We just bought a cabin that was built in 1986, that is located on the end of a mountain ridge. Last night, we found out there was sand/sediment in all the plumbing downstairs. The kitchen sink, dish washer, and bathroom sink are not working properly. We stuck a finger inside the water hookup for the washer, and our fingers were covered with sand. We don't know much about well systems, and were not given any information about how the well was built.. any advice on where to start with this? Any tips or suggestions? Please help!
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Just
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:08pm
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sand in pipes is not a terrible thing , as long as there is a good supply
of water !!!!! if there is lots of water try restricting the flow from the well ,the well my be pumping to hard and sucking up sand from the bottom of the well [try restricting it to 1 gal a min. between the pump and the pressure tank . . orrr adding a in-line filter is a possibility but would not be my first choice .Could be lots of other things but I would try this first IMO
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:19pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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The well pump does not have to be located in the bottom of the well, where it is most likely to catch sediment. Often they are held up off the bottom, but still well below the top level of the water in the well shaft.
If the well was installed in 86, you very well might be due for a servicing and new or rebuilt pump. You might talk to a local driller who does servicing to see what they say.
In line filters are a pain in the neck cause you have to change it frequently and it will crack if it freezes and it is not drained. But, it would cost a lot less than servicing the pump, which you might not need anyway. Maybe the best thing is to run the pump til it dies, if it ain't broke don't fix it. In which case a filter is at least a temporary solution.
But an experienced local well pro will probably be familiar with the local soil conditions and how they affect pumps, and can hopefully give you the best strategy for the most use of the well for the least money.
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saskboy
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 02:02pm
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This happened to us on the farm, raise your pump up and try again. We also installed a sediment filter, doesnt need to be cleaned out hardly at all since we lifted the pump up.
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cabinbiscuits
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:48pm - Edited by: cabinbiscuits
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If you don't know the specs for your well you might want to pull the pump and check the pump and well out. Measure to the bottom of the well itself, then to the top of the water inside the well. Measure how far down your current pump or foot valve (depending on the type of setup you have ) sits down the water pipe. That will tell you how far off the bottom your pump is currently located and how many feet of water you have above the pump or foot valve. Keep in mind that the water level in the well will change from month to month based on ground water levels. Obviously the water levels drop during times of drought and come up during times of frequent precipitation and snow melt.
The bottom of the well can fill with sand/silt and so on over time which is why you may need to adjust the pump up a little bit. You don't want to move it up too far though as you'll cut down on the reserve water level that you have available for the drought years.
I just replaced the well pump at our house in November at it was still running after 40 years in the ground.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:22pm
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Sounds like the pump is too low or the bottom of the well has filled up with sand (caving in). Raise the pump. Surprised there was no "sand locking" of the pump.
How deep is it? Drill deeper down into rubble or below the sand. When I had my well drilled, they mapped out he soil conditions from top to bottom. Could some well casing be cracked or broken? Earthquakes at one time, maybe damaged it etc, allowing sand to fill the bottom, while the pump has been picking it up.
You could turn the pump on, full speed, open the outlet pipe, let it run and draw out the sand.
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RedTailHawk
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2014 10:25pm
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Sorry to hijack your thread, but I'm also a first time cabin owner (and well pump). My water hasn't worked for about 3 weeks. At first I thought the pipes had frozen, but I've sealed up the crawlspace, ran a space heater, etc and still no water. Now I'm wondering if the well pump burned out.
Any tips for figuring out if the pump is dead? Do I need to open the well cap and pull up the pump?
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entertreestand
Member
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# Posted: 23 Mar 2014 06:47pm
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Is it a submersible pump or a hand drivin point well?
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old243
Member
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# Posted: 23 Mar 2014 10:06pm
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hawk , If you have a submersible pump . there should be a contactor in the line leading to the well. Make sure there is proper voltage to this box. A lead will also be connected to it from the pressure switch on or near the pressure tank. If there is no voltage at the contactor, Go back to your electrical panel and make sure the breaker , has not tripped. Sometimes the pressure switch will fail in the open position. take the cover off it and make sure the points are closed. Also possible, . that they are burned badly and not making contact. There are several things so you just have to eliminate them till you find the problem. A shot of lightning could also burn out the contactor. Hope your pump is ok they are sxpensive. old243
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